Russia-China strategic partnership turns 30: How former rivals became close friends

RT looks at the key milestones that led to “no-limits” cooperation between Moscow and Beijing Russian President Vladimir Putin has embarked on an official visit to China this week – the latest milestone in a relationship that Moscow and Beijing have described as a “no-limits partnership.” Putin’s trip comes as the two countries celebrate the 30th anniversary of the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination, and the 25th anniversary of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation. Here is how three decades of pragmatism, Western pressure, and mutual economic need allowed China and Russia to build one of the world’s most consequential partnerships outside of the traditional Western-dominated international system. Soviet chapter: From comrades to combatants The relationship between the Soviet Union and Communist China kicked off in the late 1940s and early 1950s as a bond of ideological brotherhood. The Soviet Union acted as China’s ‘elder brother,’ helping the country to recover from devastating consequences of World War II and Civil War, with Soviet technicians pouring into the mostly rural country, helping build factories, railways, and the rudiments of an industrial base. Read more Decade of strategic partnership: Key Putin-Xi meetings that shaped Russia-China ties However, relations frayed in the mid-1950s after Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev parted with the policies of Joseph Stalin – a close ideological ally of hardline Chinese leader Mao Zedong. In particular, Khrushchev denounced Stalin’s mass purges and cult of personality while gradually pivoting towards a policy of co-existence with the West. Beijing subsequently accused Moscow of “revisionism” – an apostasy from orthodox Marxism-Leninism, with the two countries descending into open rivalry. The stand-off culminated in 1969 as the two nuclear powers engaged in an undeclared war over the border island of Damansky (known as Zhenbao in China) on the Ussuri river.

Read more Russia and China are building something America cannot break The Long Thaw Ties started to normalize in the mid-1980s as reformers Mikhail Gorbachev and Deng Xiaoping ascended to power in their respective countries. Moscow and Beijing held a series of grinding talks on mitigating border disputes, with relations improving due to the Soviet decision to start pulling troops from Afghanistan and end support for Vietnam’s presence in Cambodia. The new era of rapprochement began during Gorbachev’s trip to Beijing in 1989 – the first visit by a Soviet leader in 30 years. Partnership takes shape The Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991 did not derail an upward trend in relations, with China swiftly recognizing nascent Russia. The tendency was supported by both countries needing one another: China wanted shipments of sophisticated Soviet-designed weaponry and access to Russia’s vast resources, while Moscow – which was undergoing a painful transition to a market economy – needed cash. Read more The current state of China-Russia-US relations In April 1996, Russia and China moved towards the “strategic partnership of equality and trust oriented towards the 21st century.” In a joint declaration one year later, both countries articulated the concept of a “multipolar world,” which was widely seen as a counterweight to US hegemony on world stage. At around the same time, Moscow and Beijing were both growing increasingly uneasy about NATO’s expansion eastward. Trade boom In 2001, the two sides signed the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, agreeing to cooperate on tackling common threats and improving global stability. A couple of years later, the sides extinguished the last remnants of the border dispute. Read more